My Van Life: Day 37
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Lyman, ME – Kennebunkport, ME – Portsmouth, NH
I sprung out of bed this morning realizing we didn’t know what time our checkout from our Harvest Hosts was. I always get nervous with that kind of stuff. It’s the rule follower in me what can I say. Noticing that the RV that was parked next to us last night was now gone, that lit the fire under my booty even more to get up and get moving. On to the next destination! Plus I was just excited for the day ahead especially now that we had all of our van life duties behind us thanks to our not so sexy van life day yesterday.
Speaking of our next destination...Kennebunkport. A name I've heard my grandma utter numerous times from her own travels years ago to this side of the country. It’s one of those destinations that I always think to myself ‘is that really what it’s called? How do you even spell that?!?’ After realizing it did in fact exist on a map and in fact was quite the destination in the US for celebrities (and regular folk like me thank goodness), we were excited to visit and experience this Kennebunkport for ourselves.
It was only about 30 minutes from our Harvest Hosts destination so we arrived around 10:30am this morning. Thankfully we didn’t have to look for parking for too long because as you can imagine it’s difficult enough with a twenty-four foot sprinter but it’s even more difficult in quaint little beach towns such as Kennebunkport. We really lucked out though and found a two hour parking spot immediately upon arrival. We popped into this sweet corner café, Mornings in Paris, and grabbed our morning coffee and a few pastries to sit and enjoy (be sure to try the croissant and chocolate croissant – flaky and delish!) before walking around the main shopping square, Lancaster Square, popping in and out of souvenir shops here and there. While a small, quaint little destination, I was pleasantly surprised at how dog friendly it was. Lots of dogs out walking with their owners, enjoying the beautiful scenery and this particularly spectacular day. It sounds like we visited on the perfect day as yesterday was rather humid apparently – like everywhere else we’ve been – but today the thickness from the air lifted and we walked around enjoying a pleasantly sunny but mild morning.
We snuck in a quick driving tour of some of the beautiful homes on Ocean Avenue including the Bush Compound which appears to be on its own island practically. Every home you drive by is more spectacular than the last. I can’t help but imagine that life. That life of “summering” in Kennebunkport, “wintering” in Miami (or wherever one ‘winters’) and getting the best of both worlds.
There were kids traveling in packs, riding their bikes or scooters everywhere, it gives you a sense of security. That you’re in a good and safe place. Back home to see groups of young kids or teenagers sets off immediate alarms of concern for their safety. Not here. Not in Maine where ‘life is at is should be.’ That’s no exaggeration, it really is. It started getting a bit busy in Kennebunkport so we decided to head over to Portsmouth early as we’d heard that was also a great destination. We have an appointment tomorrow morning for the van in Portsmouth so might as well set up shop in the city and bop around while we have the time. We found great public parking in a nearby lot and walked around Market Street, doing a little window shopping before grabbing a quick bite to eat at The Works Café. I would equate it to a better Panera. It was definitely a lowkey, basic lunch but there’s honestly so many restaurants in that area it’s overwhelming. I wanted something fast, easy and healthy and The Works serviced all those needs.
We did some more walking shortly thereafter, more window shopping and actual shopping before hopping back in the van for a bit of driving. We drove to The Wentworth Hotel (Wentworth by the Sea) as I’d heard that was worth the drive by. I can confirm – it was. It’s picturesque and overpowering like Hotel Del in San Diego. It holds it’s own on that plot of land and has obviously established a reputation for itself as a landmark in the city. The area isn’t the largest so we made the call to drive back to Market Street where we were earlier in the day. It was just such a cute little area with easy access to free parking and I hadn’t picked up my New Hampshire souvenirs yet so we figured why not. Plus we both love the opportunity to get out of the van and get some walking in when we can.
It had definitely gotten a bit busier by the time we made our way back but truly it was pretty packed all day. Obviously that’s the area to visit. Nevertheless we found parking, I got my souvenirs and there was an available table at Toscana, the Italian Chophouse and Wine Bar that we spotted earlier in the day. It’s an absolutely breathtaking building, it used to be the New Hampshire National Bank, and the perfect place for us to kick our feet up, enjoy a glass of wine and some appetizers before bidding adieu to another magical weekend. I can’t recommend that restaurant enough. The truffle fries are some of the best I’ve ever had. Hands down. They managed to master the perfect fry texture where they’re just firm enough but not too firm. And they’re truffle fries – did I mention that?!
We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at this breakthtaking restaurant and ended up chatting with the couple next to us the entire night. These are the nights, the moments I live for. This is the life I want to lead. Walking back to the car I couldn’t help but think about the fact that if we weren’t working from home, if I was going to an office tomorrow I would have never let myself indulge like that. I would be at home, prepping for the week ahead and feeling anxious about not getting enough sleep or not being prepared for the Monday morning wake up call. I don’t want to live in that headspace anymore. I want to live in the headspace where I’m on the other side of the country, sitting outside at a beautiful restaurant, enjoying a glass of rosé at 9pm on a Sunday without a care in the world. This is my life right now but I’m going to work for it to be my life (and mental state) forever...